Silesia.

Southeast of the Prussian-Austrian front near Liegnitz.

In the Austrian command post at Wałbrzych, freshly promoted General Reo handed a glass of crystal-clear wine to the French lieutenant colonel in front of him, his face beaming with a warm smile. "You must try this, my dear old friend. This is a fine Bordeaux wine, a gift from His Majesty the Emperor."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Lefebvre accepted the glass, raised it in a toast, and said, "It took me an entire month to travel from Algiers to here, and I came straight away to visit you. I must congratulate you on your promotion to General!"

After Reo returned from the Southern Netherlands, Leopold II personally signed his promotion to the rank of General.

Reo laughed and raised his glass as well. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

He wasn't just being polite; without Lefebvre's assistance during the campaign, he might have been captured by the Prussians.

"Oh, and I've also prepared a luncheon for you. The cheese stew and roast pork knuckle here are simply delightful."

As they exchanged pleasantries and walked out of the room, Lefebvre casually remarked, "By the way, why did Marshal Lacy assign you here? I mean, you should be on the main battlefield, making a name for yourself, not stuck in this remote little town."

General Reo shrugged. "Well, he's the commander, after all. But it's not so bad here; I get to..."

He almost said "go fishing," but quickly coughed and corrected himself. "Ah, inspect the defenses and train the soldiers."

"Yes, all in service to His Majesty," Lefebvre nodded. Then, leaning in closer, he spoke more earnestly, "But as a loyal friend, I feel you shouldn't be taking it easy right now."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"To be honest, with your current prestige and the merits you've earned in the Southern Netherlands, you're entirely eligible to be made a Marshal," Lefebvre said, sounding regretful. "But perhaps His Majesty thinks you're still a bit too young."

Reo, at just 35, would indeed be quite young to become a Marshal.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that," Reo laughed, waving his hand. "I'm already quite content with how things are."

And he truly was. Without the "adventure" in the Southern Netherlands, he likely would have ended his career as a Major General at best.

Lefebvre made a small gesture with his thumb and forefinger. "Actually, you're just a little bit of merit away from becoming a Marshal."

He then lowered his voice and said, "It seems Marshal Lacy might not want you to threaten his position.

"You see, Wałbrzych is at the very end of the front line. There won't be any major battles here. By the time the war ends, you might miss your chance to earn further distinctions."

Reo blinked, realizing that his friend made a good point. Especially the word "Marshal," which now dangled before him like a tantalizing prize. Read complete versıon only at novęlfire.net

But then he hesitated. "But Marshal Lacy probably won't agree to transfer me to the main front. You know, he keeps his own people there."

Lefebvre nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps you could create an opportunity elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?"

"Yes, like Ratibor. The Prussian garrison there isn't large; you could take it on your own."

Ratibor was a smaller province on the southern edge of Silesia.

Reo frowned. "But even if we retake Ratibor, we'll be stuck facing the Oder River. It wouldn't have much impact on the war."

To move from Ratibor to Breslau, the capital of Silesia, the Austrians would have to cross the Oder River. The Prussians could easily defend the river with a small force, making it difficult for the Austrians to advance. Meanwhile, the Prussians could swiftly send troops down the river from Breslau to recapture Ratibor.

Moreover, Ratibor was bordered to the south by the Sudeten Mountains, which posed no threat to Austria, so neither side paid much attention to it.

Lefebvre smiled slightly. "All you need is just enough merit to be promoted to Marshal. Recapturing any part of Silesia would be sufficient for that."

Reo's eyes lit up. How had he not thought of that?

Once he became a Marshal, he could return to Vienna and enjoy life. Whatever happened in Silesia afterward would be Marshal Lacy's concern, not his.

"Thank you so much!" Reo exclaimed, looking at Lefebvre with genuine gratitude. "You always give me the best advice. You were the same in the Southern Netherlands. You're truly my best friend!"

But then he hesitated again. "Are you sure I can take Ratibor?"

Reo knew his own limitations. Back in Luxembourg, his army had been routed by the Prussians, and it was only thanks to Lefebvre leading 3,000 soldiers to turn the tide that he had scored a victory.

"There shouldn't be more than 7,000 Prussian soldiers in Ratibor. Your corps has 16,000 men, and you can leave some to defend Wałbrzych."

Lefebvre gestured around them. "There's not much to defend here, really. You'll have a significant numerical advantage, and with a surprise attack, you should be able to swiftly defeat the Prussians."

Reo gazed at him, almost pleadingly. "My dear friend, would you come with me?"

Lefebvre immediately replied with sincerity, "I would be honored to fight alongside you, but this is about your promotion to Marshal. I shouldn't take any of the credit.

"Oh, but after you capture Ratibor, I can help you defend it. I promise."

Lefebvre continued to offer encouraging words, and soon, Reo's resolve was firm.

Three days later.

Reo gazed out at the mist-shrouded town of Ratibor and then turned to his staff officer. "Any signs of movement from the Prussians?"

"None so far, General. The enemy is holed up behind their defenses in the town."

Reo nodded. "Tell the troops to stay concealed. At exactly 10 o'clock, we'll launch the attack as planned."

He had brought 12,000 troops this time, and as Lefebvre had advised, a sudden and fierce assault should lead to victory.

"Yes, General!"

Two hours later, Reo's artillery appeared on the southwestern edge of Ratibor. Two 12-pound cannons and seven 6-pound cannons roared to life in unison.

After several rounds of bombardment, large formations of Austrian infantry advanced in columns, drums beating, launching an assault on the Prussian positions from the west and south.

Reo, after spending so much time with Lefebvre, might have been lacking in actual combat prowess, but at least he had picked up some of the right moves.

The Prussians seemed slow to react; it took them a while to return fire with their own cannons.

The Austrian soldiers, pushing through the bombardment, quickly reached the first defensive line outside the town. On command, they began to fan out into battle lines.

Footnote:

[1] Wałbrzych is the modern Polish name for the location. Since I couldn't find the German name used during the occupation period, I've temporarily used this name in the text.

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